1
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else
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2
as in to dissimulate
to take on a false or deceptive appearance
children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dissemble
You’d like your government to tell you the truth, and the government dissembled repeatedly after the raid about what the rules of engagement were.
—
Aryeh Neier, The New York Review of Books, 3 Mar. 2025
Pushing back on reporters, at the time Scher often dissembled and appeared to brush aside concerns about what was clearly an increasingly out-of-control situation.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 July 2024
That same week, Altman made headlines at a Senate hearing by asking to be regulated — wowing senators who were more accustomed to tech CEOs dissembling or responding evasively to questions.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024
That year, with 23,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, the administration was still dissembling about the American role in the war.
—Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dissemble
Aryeh Neier, The New York Review of Books, 3 Mar. 2025
Pushing back on reporters, at the time Scher often dissembled and appeared to brush aside concerns about what was clearly an increasingly out-of-control situation.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 19 July 2024
That same week, Altman made headlines at a Senate hearing by asking to be regulated — wowing senators who were more accustomed to tech CEOs dissembling or responding evasively to questions.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 14 Feb. 2024
That year, with 23,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, the administration was still dissembling about the American role in the war.
—Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
See All Example Sentences for dissemble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dissemble
Verb
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The latest text message attacks making headlines (1,2,3) pretend to be from Amazon.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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The scammer will pretend to be verified customers and leave reviews for the products that are delivered to unsuspecting residents.—
Laura Daniella Sepulveda,
AZCentral.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Thousands more are assumed to have died while fleeing the eruption.—
Andrew Paul Aug 7,
Popular Science,
7 Aug. 2025
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Advertisement Yet assuming Trump follows through with his own deadline, will the pressure tactics actually work to change Putin’s war calculus?—
Daniel DePetris,
Time,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The researchers used one gel to seal a hole at the base of a three-meter-long pipe that was filled with tap water to simulate a high-pressure water leak.—
Andrea Tamayo,
Scientific American,
8 Aug. 2025
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Additionally, generative AI is being used to simulate moderation scenarios by helping developers refine detection algorithms and improve overall system accuracy. 5.—
Anees Ali Khan,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dissemble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dissemble. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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